October 21, 2014

Abstract:Physical exercise assessment is a subjective activity. Although information about heart rate, weight, muscle growth and flexibility can be measured, motion is still visually estimated and its execution varies accordingly to its interpretation and the physical characteristics of each person. Exercise guides are available on printed or digital media; however, some of them are difficult to interpret. This poses feedback challenges regarding their proper execution.

Virtual reality and 3DUIs provide engaging scenarios where users can perform physical activity while being monitored at the same time. In this talk I will describe my research, which involves developing two interactive scenarios using a smartphone and a Kinect to analyze the suitability of both applications as potential complementary tools to quantify exercise and motivate users to partipate in physical activity. From the feedback, the applications provide engagement according to the type of user and allow a health-care specialist to quantify the experience and take corrective measures through the monitored data.